Blast furnace tuyere



June 7, 1932. R, HOLZWORTH 1,862,341

BLAST FURNACE TUYERE Filed Sept. 27, 1929 ply by a pipe 13.

Patented June '2', 1932 STATES eeann TENr BLAST FURNACE TUYERE Application filed September 27, 1929. Serial No. 395,715.

This invention relates to an improved tuyere for blast furnaces and has for its primary aim to protect the tuyere against burnin at its nose and therelo increase the life thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide the underside of the nose end of the tuyorc with an insert of a material having a high melting point or high thermal conductivity, which is not easily melted, and

7 showing the insert removed. Figure i is a detached perspective view of the insert.

Similar char cters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several news.

The numeral 10 indicates a part of the furnace wall in which the improved tuyere is mounted in the usual and well known manner. As is customary the tuyere consists of a substantially frustoconical body 11 made of a copper alloy or other appropriate material and having the usual passage 12 for the admission of a continuous blast of air to the furnace, this passage being connected at its outer end with the source of air sup- The tuyere body has a cooling compartment or jacket 14 surrounding its air passage and through which a fluid is circulated by means of an inlet pipe 15 and an outlet pipe 16.

In the underside of the nose end of the tuyere I provide a substantially radial notch 17 which extends completely through its wall, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, and which is approximately dove-tail in shape, the side walls thereof converging in a longitudinal direction toward the tuyere-nose. Radially of the tuyere the side Walls of this notch converge outwardly, whereby said notch is tapered or Wedge-shaped both longitudinally and transversely of the tuyere. Fitted in this notch and of wedge-shape both lengthwise and crosswise thereof to conform to the contour of the notch is an insert or segment 18 made of any appropriate material having a high temperature melting point or of high thermal conductivity, such as fire brick, copper, aluminum or the like. The shapes of the companion insert and notch are such that the insert can be readily applied and no separate fastenings are required for holding it in place. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the water jacket 14 extends to and surrounds the side and back walls of the notch 17. The inner and outer faces of the insert 18 are arcuate to conform to the circumfergnoe of the corresponding faces of the tuyereody.

It is a well known fact that a blast furnace tuyere has a tendency to burn or melt at the underside of its nose, due to this portion of the tuyere lying in a pool of molten materials that constantly accumulate in pockets Within the furnace in the vicinity of the tuyere nose. By constructing the tuyere in the manner described, the insert 18, rather than the Water-jacketed portion of the tuyere, comes in contact with the molten ma terials and thereby prevents burning of such jacketed portion, eliminates frequent replacements of tuyeres, and enables the furnace to be operated at a higher efliciency.

Should an insert be used which would melt out from continuous contact with the molten materials in the furnace, then the notch 17 would fill up with slag or iron and become chilled due to-the surrounding water-cooled jacket. In this way the full nozzle effect of the air blast is retained.

I claim as my invention:

1. A blast furnace tuyere, comprising a body having a substantially radial notch eX- tending transversely through its wall, said notch being disposed in the bottom side of the nose end of the tuyere and converging in the direction of length of the tuyere toward 2. A blast furnace tuyere, comprising a body having a waterjacket therein extending substantially its full length and about its entire circumference with the exception of a portion in the bottom side of its nose and below the horizontal diameter of said body, said jacketless portion having a radial notch extending transversely therethrough, and an insert of a material having a high tempera ture melting point and of pre-formed shape fitted in said notch, said notch and its insert having complementary walls shaped to prevent longitudinal and radially-outward di placement of the insert relative to the body but permit radial-inward displacement thereof to effect the insertion and removal of said insert.

3. A blast furnace tuyere, comprising a body having a water-jacket therein extending substantially its full length and about its entire circumference with the exception of a portion in the bottom side of its nose and below the horizontal diameter of said body, said jacketless portion having a radial notch extending transversely therethrough, the side walls of the notch converging lengthwise of the tuyere-body toward its nose end and converging radially outward, and an insertblock of a material having a high tempera ture melting point removably fitted in said notch and having its companion side edges shaped complementary to the notch-walls.

CHARLES R. HOLZWQRTH. 

